Immunity Daryl Dixon
by talleybear2001
Summary: 21 Year olds Emilie Greene and her Best friend Anna Stanley are thrown into the Apocalypse, together will they Survive..? "Friends until the very end."
1. Prologue

** Just a little bit about my oc, Has brown hair, blue eyes, and her full name is Emilie Rose Greene. **

**Her best friend is Anna Stanley, a relatively tall girl, with chocolate brown eyes, and long strawberry blonde hair, pretty much everyone she has ever met, are attracted to her. **

**Both have relatively kind and sweet personalities, but while Emilie is dealing with her nightmares, Anna is depressed, which can often cause stress between the friends. Though they still try to remain optimistic, even in the midst of the Zombie Apocalypse.**

** Prologue:**

"No matter how good, someone's life might seem. Everyone, including you, has their inner demons. The only difference, is how you deal with it."

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Emilie rested her head against Anna's as they sat on the couch, playing video games. The brunette's feet were propped up on the coffee table, a controller clutched in her hands. She heard Anna give a curse, as she knocked the strawberry-blonde's character off the cliff."Damn you, how are you so good at this..?"Anna had now pulled herself off of the couch, and turned the gaming system off, giving a smirk as Emilie gave a half-hearted glare.

"Practice makes perfect."

The words seemed to come to effortlessly out of the Brunette's mouth, as if they were repeated on a daily basis. Which they actually were, it was her favorite phrase to speak, whenever she won at something. It's not that she was a bragger, far from that, whenever her signature phrase popped into a conversion, people knew she was just joking around. In fact she was a massive disliker of poor sportsmanship, and tried to contribute to the other team(you know, besides helping them cheat).

"You really love saying that, don't ya?"Anna's southern sass was coming through like on a bell toll, and seemed to have only a positive effect on their conversation."Yup."Emilie, the shorter one of the two, clicked her tongue, not from annoyance or irritation, but from pure amusement. Anna could hear her best friend's giggles from in front of the TV stand, and smiled, if only they could be together all the time.

A whinny broke through the giggles, making both of them smile wider. Scout wanted to join in on the fun, in other words, Scout wanted to go for a ride. That horse loved to be rode, he loved feeling the wind in his mane, while his owner took him out riding on the old trails.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Emilie held the reins in her hand as she led scout down the old trail, a smile on her freckled face. Anna and her horse Rosebud walked beside them, the mare's dark brown coat with an almost pure black mane becoming accustomed to the cool breeze. Both girls were smiling, they hadn't been out on the old trails, since their sophomore year of high school. Senior year seemed to be the hardest, as even though both girls had passing grades, they were still worried they wouldn't have enough credits to graduate.

They had rode down this trail a million times, and both girls still recognised the terrain fairly well, even though it had been a few years since they regularly rode the trail. Emilie knew she partly had a childish reaction to seeing her best friend again, but ever since they graduated and went off to separate colleges, she had missed Anna greatly. She missed riding their horses together, going down this trail, and a few others, which to them was the best thing ever.

Emilie, of course, loved her two sisters to death, but at the same time she knew her father was kind of disappointed in her for not going to the college he wanted her to. The brunette felt a little bit bad about sending a letter to a different college, than he had wanted. But soon enough her father got over it, his love of his family and his job reminding him of his second oldest daughter's wild and free spirit.

The trail was bumpy from the constant use of it years ago, but that didn't bother the two friends, who took in the scenery, all while enjoying nature. The sweet sounds of birds singing, crickets chirping, as the night was coming down on them."I think it's about time to head back."Anna spoke, the darkness making it easier to see the stars in the almost fully night sky.

Emilie seemed to be disappointed at this statement, before her eyes brightened, as she lightly kicked Scout's side, making the horse pick up his speed."What are you do-"Anna cut herself off, quickly realising her best friend's intentions. She made Rosebud pick up the pace, and rode after the brunette a smile slightly appearing on the strawberryblonde's face.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Emilie let her back hit the ground, as the field around glowed with the moonlight, Anna lied down next to the brunette. They were happy, this had been the first time in a long time since they had been able to stargaze together. Fireflies flew around them lighting up the scenery even more. Anna suddenly got up into a position where she was siting on her knees, her eyes shining with confusion.

The brunette turned her happiness disappearing as she saw the look on Anna's face."Anna, What is-"That's when she heard it, an ear piercing scream breaching the cheerful noises of nature. A gasp escaped both girls' mouths, as they looked in horror as a seemingly dead looking person stumbled, a bite mark on their shoulder.

Emilie gave another cry as she realised this person was still alive, and most likely screaming from the horrific mark on their shoulder."Oh my god!"Her and Anna yelled as the woman fell to her knees, too much blood leaking from her torn shoulder.

"Help..."The woman's voice was quieter now, and she had stopped screaming at the top of her lungs, her skin pale as she continued to lose blood. Anna immediately, grabbed Emilie's shaking hand, before gathering her courage and running over to the terribly injured woman.

Anna quickly attempted to apply pressure to wound, after both of the girls lowered the woman onto her back. The woman was sobbing in obvious pain, but without proper medical supplies, the woman would not survive much longer."We need to call an ambulan-" Emilie yelled hurriedly until her words were caught in her throat as the woman stopped moving completely.

"Ah!"

Emilie fell back in shock, as Anna froze, staring in horror down at the young woman who stopped breathing. Anna looked like she was about to start CPR, but Emilie pulled her best friend back, knowing that it was pointless.

"No..."

Anna's whisper resonated in Emilie's mind as they looked in shock at the body of a once lifeless and beautiful young woman, who was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Emilie's intense gag reflex caused her to finally get sick, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the grass.

Anna lost any composure she had in not throwing up and puked on to the ground, gasping for air as she coughed and gagged. Emilie choked as she finally managed to regain her composure, wiping her hand against her mouth.

She finally stumbled over to Anna who was sobbing, and gasping for air as she retched onto the grass floor. Emilie placed a hand on the girl's back, before rubbing back and forth, attempting to console her friend. However, Emilie knew that the longer they stayed here, the more likely a chance, whatever took a chomp out of that woman, would find and most likely attack them.

"We have to go."

Anna shook her head rapidly, wincing as Emilie pulled her up, and looked at her best friend with shocked eyes."We have t-to call 911."Anna voice shook as she spoke tears finding their way down her face. Emilie nodded, but she knew they could not sit here defenceless.

She looked towards Scout who was clearly upset just by the way he was staring at them. He neighed as she approached him, although quieted when Emilie shushed him. Emilie looked at the saddlebag, opening it and pulling out a pocket knife, that she always used for farm work.

She heard Anna talking wildly as the poor girl was barely keeping her composure, as she was talking on the phone. Just as Emilie was going to offer to talk to them herself, both Anna and her heard a gut wrenching moan, that made them freeze.

Anna's phone dropped to the ground, as they turned around to see the woman, who they presumed was dead, alive. Though something was very wrong, as the woman started to get up, groaning unnaturally as she finally noticed them, and began stumbling towards them.

"Oh my god. Are you alright, Ma'am?!"

Anna asked hurriedly, looking almost relieved that the woman was alive, although she was confused on how the woman could walk at all in her condition. Her bite wound looked infected, and blood drenched her shoulder as well as most of her front, it was truly remarkable that she was even alive.

However, something was definitely off about the woman now, she was walking, more like limping towards them, her teary green eyes now a sickining yellow. Her eyes were sunken in, and her skin was an ashy grey that usually only occurred after death or near death.

Emilie knew just by taking one glance at the woman that, the woman looked dead, and her inhumane growls sent shivers down the Brunette's spine."Anna, get away from her."She told her friend, looking worriedly at the woman in front of them.

"Em, how could you say that?!She needs help!"

Anna screeched at Emilie who winced at her friend's tone."Look at her Anna... She looks dead."The brunette finally spoke, her voice shaking as she came to the realization that this woman looked at them as though they were food, like she was going to devour them while they're still alive.

Emilie gasped in shock as the woman reached Anna, and after stumbling threw herself at the taller girl, lunging for her neck. Anna screamed in fear as she struggled to hold the woman back, yelling for the woman to get ahold of herself.

Emilie unfroze and in a matter of seconds ran to Anna's side, attempting to pull the woman off of her friend. As the woman's teeth inched closer to the strawberryblonde's neck, Emilie knew she had to make a choice.

She could simply let Anna get tore into, and not do anything. But she wouldn't be able to live with herself after that, and she felt nausea by even thinking about it. Or she could stab the woman with her knife, which would also make her feel horrible, but at least then it was self defense or defence for a friend.

Barely making up her mind, she stabbed the knife into the woman's arm, but their was no response from the woman. Emilie tried stabbing her in the neck, but once again their was no pain or any reaction at all for that matter. She gasped as she gave one more attempt at stopping the woman, and shoved the blade into the woman's head.

This finally seemed to do something, and the woman fell completely limp, Anna's cries only getting louder as she realized that her best friend had killed someone."Y-you k-killed her."Anna stuttered out, her eyes widening in absolute horror.

Emilie dropped her knife before falling to her knees and once again vomiting onto the grass, Anna fell next to her and got sick as well, as tears flowed out of both of the girl's eyes. Emilie sobbed, wiping her hand on the edge of her sleeve before stumbling to her feet.

She refused to look at the woman's body again, and instead chose to look at Anna's clattered cellphone. She put the phone up to her ear, and said nothing as she heard the line be cut, and realized that something very bad was going on.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•  
Emilie could feel herself gasping as her and Anna stumbled into the house, their hands entertained, as the brunette stared at the wall."Em, are you alright..?"Anna hesitantly asked, as Emilie's breath had contorted into strained wheezing.

"Fuck!"

Anna yelled before rushing outside after sitting the brunette down in a chair. The strawberryblonde's hands searched hurriedly in Scout's saddle bag, and grabbing an inhaler out of it.

She ran back in grasping the inhaler tightly in her hand, as she rushed towards Emilie's wheezing form."C'mon, breathe."Anna muttered putting the inhaler and pressing down on the button.

Emilie struggled to breathe for a couple more seconds, before she regained her breath and placed the inhaler on the table."We gotta leave."The brunette said, and Anna gave the girl a shocked look.

"Why?!"

She winced at Anna's tone, and the strawberry-blonde gave an apologetic look, before sitting down next to her. "Something's goin' on. I dunno what it is, but it is dangerous for us to stay here."

"Why would it not be safe here. We have food, water, and shelter. Plus a attic and basement, just in case things get hairy."

Emilie shook her head as she stared at Anna with a pointed look."You live on a small farm, Anna. It's pretty isolated, so if we're forced to leave, we'd have to go to town...Or back to my family's farm."

Anna slowly nodded but deathly thoughts were swarming her mind. Her depression that she had attempted to ignore for years, flowed back into her mind, making the normally happy and cheerful eyes become dull and everything lost its color.

"Okay..."

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

The End of the prologue for Immunity.

Talley Bear.

*To all readers, who are fans of TWD TV show,.. this story will be mostly the same as the TV show until after the CDC. I won't explain all of it but just know that a few differences will include some deceased characters from the show, living.*


	2. A New Reality

One month later

*Emilie POV*

I stared at the deer in front of me, as I raised my wooden, handcrafted bow an arrow with white feathers on the tail of it, aimed at the deer's neck. I released it, unsheathing my knife as the dear fell to the ground, and I heard a rustle in the bushes.

I prepared myself, raising into a defensive stance, as a walker stumbled towards the deer I had just hit."Oh, hell no."I muttered quietly a flash of annoyance hitting me, as the walker walked towards my deer hungrily.

It groaned as I jumped behind it, kicking the back of it's knees, before I shoved my knife into the corpse's skull, and sighed as it stopped moving. I pulled my knife out, a disgusted look forming on my face, as I looked at the blood on my blade.

I wiped the blade on my jeans, before smiling as my knife once again looked shiny. I walked over to the deer, and gasped as I realised the poor animal was still alive, and it was suffering.

I resisted the urge to cry, as I knelt down by the deer my blade clutched in hand tightly."I'm sorry..."I whispered as I put the deer out of it's misery.

I once again wiped my now bloody blade on my jeans before sheathing my knife, and attempting to haul the deer over my small shoulders. Even though the buck was pretty small, I still struggled, and finally just decided to drag the animal by his antlers.

I looked over to Scout who grazed with ease, until he spotted me dragging the deer's body over to him."We got lucky this time, boy. Anna's gonna be real happy."

I spoke as I struggled to lift the deer onto Scout's back. I grabbed a rope out of the saddlebag, and tied the deer to Scout, to make sure the animal didn't fall off of the large horse's back.

I moved a strand of dark brown hair away from my face, sighing in annoyance as I realised a pony tail wouldn't save me from my thick hair. The thickness of my hair caused me to sweat, but even when I put it up, I still sweated a lot on the back of my neck.

"Drop yer weapons. And put your hands behind yer head."

I froze as I heard a gruff voice behind me, making my hands freeze. I complied slipping my bow off and dropping it to the ground. I threw my knife to the ground, as I now heard footsteps moving closer to me.

I closed my eyes nervously, all could hope for now, was the guy letting me go(which seemed unlikely, but it's the only thing keeping me still right now).

"That everything?"

I could feel his hands on me, making me scared, but I quickly realized he was simply checking me for weapons. He finally grunted as he fully checked for any more weapons, and grunted again when he was done.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

*Third Person POV*

Emilie said nothing as the stranger told her to turn around slowly, with her hands up. She complied, a dark brown strand of hair fluttering in her face, sending annoyance straight to her face.

"Who are you?"

The stranger asked the brunette, his thick southern accent making him seem even hotter than his appearance would lead you to believe. Her eyes met his and she was scared he would react poorly to the unneeded eye contact and just shoot her.

He had brown hair, Icy blue eyes that would make any woman's heart melt, and a pretty muscular yet somehow stealthy frame. He held a crossbow in his arms, aimed at her, with a bolt already loaded and ready to go.

"Emilie."She answered staring nervously at his crossbow, as he suddenly directed his attention to the deer that lay across Scout's back. He looked slightly impressed, before it disappeared and he raised his crossbow at her again."Daryl."

"Okay...Can you stop pointing that thing at me, please?"

She asked hesitantly staring at him with her bright blue eyes,"Ye gotta a group?"He questioned, surprising Emilie when he actually lowered the crossbow, keeping a cautious look on his face.

"Not really a group. It's just me and my friend and our horses."

She said lightly her eyes still watching his every movement. She was cautious, and had every right to be, she could barely trust anyone these days. Someone could seem nice one moment, but when you least expect it, they would at the very least rob you blind.

Emilie knew better than to trust this stranger right off the bat, because he could easily kill as she was disarmed. It does beg the question though, why would he not I'll her? The first reason that popped into head, sent shivers down her spine as she stared up at him.

At a mere 5'1 she was 9 inches shorter than him if she estimated his height correctly. While he was taller than her, that wasn't saying much, considering most people were taller than her, including her 16 year old sister Beth.

"Ya wanna come back to my camp?"

The redneck asked ignoring her stare that clearly gave away that she was thinking hard about something. Emilie immediately tensed at the offer, she was still cautious of strangers or even scared of them after she was kidnapped 7 years ago along with Anna.

*FlashBack*-Slightly graphic

Emilie laughed as her and Anna walked away from the school, their hands interlocked as they walked towards the large horse that was grazing. He was hitched to a post, with a water trough in front of him.

He was a large horse, who had a light grey coat with dark grey speckles along his flank. He looked up at them as they approached, giving a happy neigh as the brunette patted his mane."Good to see you too, Scout."

She gave a content smile as her friend walked over to Scout other side and brushed her hand against his shoulder. He shook his mane, causing the two girls to erupt in giggles, as his mane smacked Emilie in the face.

Anna's sweet laughter suddenly halted, which caused Emilie to look at her friend in confusion. Anna simply looked at something not that far away, and quickly all amusement went away.

The brunette followed her motionless friends eyes, as she stared off at the large figure of a man, who simply stared at them. Emilie felt a chill go up her spine as the guy just stared at them, before he gave a smile.

At first she was confused until she heard a horrible screech come from Anna as a man grabbed her around her middle.

Before Emilie could do anything she felt someone grab her from behind, causing her to let out a scream, until the man's hand fell over her mind mouth causing her screams to be muffled.

She gasped as she struggled wildly, tears welling up in her large blue eyes. They were in a pretty isolated part of town, so there was hardly any hope of someone coming to their aid.

She felt the guy dig his nails into the back of her head, causing her to let out a muffled cry of pain. The tears were now slipping down her face freely, causing the man to tighten his grip on her.

"Stop yer cryin' right now little bitch."

Emilie didn't listen and this only served to piss the man off even further."Don't hurt her too bad, Allen. We need her alive."Another voice said sending shivers down the young girl's spine.

She could feel blood dripping out of the now formed cut on the back of her head, soaking her dark brown hair in a dark sickening red. She could see the third man, the one who smiled at them, staring at her an evil grin on his face.

She could hear the third man tell the guy who had a firm grip on Anna, to knock the blond girl out. She winced as she heard a smack, as Anna was hit with a blunt object on the back of her head.

"Knock brownie out too." She could hear Scout neighing worriedly, as he attempted to get free from his tie against the post. She gasped in fear as felt the man's hand leave her head, knowing what was about to happen.

The brunette blacked out as she felt something smack against the back of her head. She could barely hear Anna's screams of terror anymore, and only heard silence at this point.

Anna...

*Flashback End*

*Emilie's POV*

That horrid memory faded as I was brought back to reality with this crossbow wielding stranger, or Daryl. He had actually agreed to walk me back to camp, if I agreed to share the deer with them. And that both me and Anna could join them.

I said yes, because unfortunately my good nature, got the best of me, and I knew Anna would be happier if we were with other people. In my opinion Anna was way too trusting, but I guess it was better than her completely shutting down.

We had been walking for about five minutes, and he hadn't said another word to me. Which was fine, because I didn't really know what we would talk about anyway.

"We abou' there?"

He asked me finally, his gruff voice echoing in my ears. I nodded pointing ahead of us, while my other hand gripped Scout's reins tugging him along behind me.

*Third Person POV*

Emilie smiled as they walked out of the trees, to Anna who gave her an almost motherly look."Thank god..."The strawberry-blonde whispered wrapping her arms around the brunette, who released the reins, before hugging her friend tightly.

"You scared me."

Anna said quietly her brown eyes silently scanning Emilie's body for any signs of harm. Her eyes went to Daryl, who simply looked away from the friendly affection displayed between the two women.

"Who's this?"

The brunette shook her head before introducing the redneck, who gave a grunt of acknowledgement towards Anna, before his eyes trailed towards their small camp.

Well it wasn't much of a camp really, their was hardly anything there, except the two girls, their horses, a tent big enough for both of them, and a tiny fire, that sat in between where the female horse was tied up, and the tent.

"It's not much. But it's somethin'."

Emilie spoke to Daryl walking away from him, and over to the the tent. Anna followed the brunette, but not before nodding at the hunter, asking what she was up too.

"He offered us a place at their camp. Do you wanna except? Or do you wanna stay?"Emily said, looking at Anna, who simply stared back for a couple seconds, before nodding.

"Can we bring the horses?"

The strawberry-blonde asked causing Emilie to pause in her movements of grabbing her small bag out of the tent."I dunno. Hey, Daryl can we bring our horses?"

She asked turning her eyes back towards the man, who was looking at the woods with obvious caution."Don't horses eat grass?"Daryl question looking at the mare, who simply snorted at him, as she raised her head up from her grazing.

"Yeah, but the winter will make that more difficult."

Daryl gave a nod,"Alrigh', you can bring em. But they're you two's responsibilities."Anna gave a light and cheerful yes, which made Emilie give a genuine smile to her best friend.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

End of chapter One of Immunity.

TalleyBear.

*It might be pretty obvious what the relationship will be, but I just want to warn people that there is a slightly big age difference between Daryl and Emilie. Just a warning, if that kind of thing bothers you.*

*I might also take a while to update this story after chapter three, since I haven't wrote much after that point. I am working on the fourth chapter though, so hopefully I can finally finish this story, instead of procrastinating. I have this story on Quotev, and haven't updated in.. I honestly don't even know how long. Also, this story will feature some OC's, or just one(I'm not sure yet), that "Just a Machine" readers might recognize.*


	3. Tell it to the Frogs Part One

From now on the story will be staying in third person unless I say otherwise.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Emilie gasped as she heaved the tent onto Scout's back, causing the dapple grey speckled stallion to snort in what almost sounded like a huff."Hush you big baby, it'll only be for a little while."The horse snorted, before smacking the brunette with his tail, as she walked over to his left side.

"Behave."

She said whopping his neck in annoyance, as she pulled herself into the saddle. Luckily she had learned how to properly pull herself onto Scout, since she was young, even due to his large size. Emilie looked down at Daryl who stared at her in a silent question.

"You can either walk, or ride with Anna. Your choice."

Daryl only gave a grunt in response, before walking his way over to the strawberryblonde and her currently grazing mare. The dark coated mare looked up at him as he was approaching, allowing him to brush his fingers against her neck."I think she likes you."

Anna said, her soft melody like voice, breaking him away from the mare. Anna offered him a smile, before hopping onto Rosebud in a swift and almost effortless movement. Daryl nodded, for once not having the nerve to snap at the person.

Anna offered him a hand, that he stared at with his Georgian blue eyes, pulling him up onto the mare, who gave an uncomfortable whinny as she was not used to the extra weight."Shhhh, it won't be for long , Bud." The horse only gave a soft snort towards Anna, who softly stroked the dark mane.

Emilie looked back towards the deer that was tied to a assortment of a spare sleeping bag along with a rope tied to Scout."C'mon, boy. Giddyap."

Scout neighed as he followed behind the mare, "Ya think your group will accept us?" The brunette asked lightly touching her left hand to the stallion's mane."Dunno. Just gonna have ta wait and see."Emilie gave a nod towards the redneck who now refused to make eye contact with her.

Emilie sighed in confusion, before her ears alerted her to the rattling of the bushes to her right. A familiar moan echoed causing the brunette to sigh in pure irritation, as she pulled her bow into her arms. She knocked an arrow, steadying her aim before releasing it, making the walker fall with a thud.

She slowed Scout until he stopped, and hopped off the horse retrieve the arrow. The walker wasn't any prettier than the rest, and the blood she just knew was going to drench her arrow made her internally wince. She lightly walked towards the corpse, barely managing to prevent herself from getting sick, as the scent of the rotting corpse filled her nose.

She said nothing as she knelt beside the dead walker, her hand grasping the arrow. Before she could yank the arrow out, another hand grabbed then tugged the arrow out of the walker's head. She looked up in surprise, quickly noticing that it was Daryl, as he released his grip on the arrow. She felt a sense of confusion, as she hadn't even heard him get off the horse.

"T-Thank you..."

Emilie mentally cursed as her voice stuttered, wanting to slap herself."Whatever..."Emilie's appreciative look, swiftly turned to annoyance, as he bluntly spoke, turning his back to her."Asshole."She whispered thinking he couldn't hear, but she was sorely mistaken as he turned giving her a heated glare.

Emilie sighed. She really hoped she wouldn't regret this...

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

*One month later*

"C'mon."

Daryl spoke hardly sparing a glance towards Emilie, as he looked down at the vague tracks of a deer. The brunette turned her head towards her horse, whose reigns were tossed over a tree branch. Scout grazed, but somehow made hardly any noise that could potentially scare off the deer. Then in a flash she heard Daryl pull the trigger on his crossbow, releasing a bolt into the warm blooded mammal.

She looked and let out a sigh as the deer went off in the direction of the camp,"Dang."Emilie muttered lightly stepping over to Scout, and struggling to grab the reigns that were hung over the branch. Finally succeeding in what should be an easy task, she trailed behind Daryl, who at this point was already several spaces ahead of her.

"Daryl, slow down."

She said, jogging in order to catch up with him, but a grunt from Daryl, was the only thing she got in response. Earlier Daryl would have been pissed at her for making so much noise, but now since the deer was injured, it was less likely to get away. She let her eyes follow Daryl's back as he walked, the tenseness of his shoulders giving him a broader appearance than he had normally.

Although she didn't really know if there was a normal with Daryl. He seemed to have constant mood swings, which irritated Emilie because she never knew when he was gonna snap next. Even if he was kind of scary, he wasn't even half as bad as his older brother Merle. Merle was a racist pig who had frequently made moves on Anna, but Emilie wasn't against putting the screws to him about messing with her best friend.

Merle had tried hitting on Emilie a couple times; one of which ended with Merle getting kneed where the sun don't shine, while the other ended in a bloody nose. She was actually pleasantly surprised when Daryl didn't immediately come to his brother's aid, with an almost impressed look on his face. Although the second he noticed she was looking at him, Daryl resumed his normal scowling look.

Emilie then realised that Daryl, while he put on an act in front of his brother, cared about the group; otherwise, he wouldn't bring back food for them on a daily basis. The brunette touched a hand to her french braided thick brown hair, which Anna had practically begged to let her do. The braid kept most of her hair out of her face; however, it didn't really help the constant sweat slicking her neck, that she was plagued with since she was young.

She thought about her asthma, that luckily the group didn't know about, due to the fact that she hadn't had any bad attacks since before Anna and her joined. She was nervous at the prospect of the group finding out; because most likely, they would not allow her to go hunting with Daryl anymore, as to be honest she actually enjoyed the time she spent with the redneck.

"The hell?!" She yelled/whispered as she heard screams emitting from the camp. Emilie could feel herself speed up behind Daryl as worries flooded her veins; what if Anna or anyone else was hurt."Hurry up."Daryl muttered to her, a hidden tone to his voice. Emilie squinted her eyes, as she tried to figure out what it was, but her concern for the group quickly overturned it.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"Son of a bitch! That's our deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by this filthy, disease-bearing, Motherless poxy bastard!"

The brunette winced as Daryl kicked the walker's decapitated body over and over as he yelled in annoyance. Her father would have ripped her a new asshole, if he'd ever heard that she had been in the mere presence of a man who had as colorful of a vocabulary like Daryl.

"Calm down, son. That's not helping." Emilie looked towards the moral compass of their group, sending him a look of appreciation." What do you know about it, old man? Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to "on golden pond"? We've been tracking this deer for miles." Emilie put a hand onto the redneck's shoulder, causing him to tense slightly, before he shrugged her off.

The brunette trailed her eyes to the newcomer, who had baby blue eyes and brown curly hair. He had a leader sense to him, his eyes boring into hers as he spotted her behind Daryl. She could see Anna standing near him, seconds before the strawberry-blond threw herself at the shorter girl, almost knocking her over in the process."What do you think? Do you think we can cut around This chewed up part right here?"

"I would not risk that."

"He's right, Daryl. It's not worth the risk." Daryl looked towards Emilie as she spoke, giving a nod towards her."That's a damn shame. We got some squirrel about a dozen or 'll have to do." He motioned to the squirrels tied around both him and Emilie, staring in disgust as the dead Walker's head moved like, clarifying that it wasn't dead."Oh god." The short girl looked towards Andrea and Amy, as the two turned away from the revolting sight.

"Come on, people. What the hell? It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothing?"Daryl said gruffly, as he fired a bolt into the walker's skull, causing Anna to wince and hide her face in Emilie's hair."It's okay, Anna."The brunette whispered wrapping her arms around said blond in a comforting hug. Daryl's Georgian blue eyes seemed to soften as he saw Emilie comforting Anna, until he noticed that Shane, or deputy jackass was staring at him.

In that moment he hardened his mask, and glared angerily at Shane, who only looked to Emilie who was trying to stop a crying Anna's sobs. Emilie simply sighed, thinking about Anna's over sensitive nature, and her too kind-hearted personality, hoping that Anna would gain the courage to stop crying."Who are you?"Emilie questioned the new guy, as Anna finally pulled away from her.

"Rick Grimes."

Emilie furrowed her brows at his response, that was Carl and Lori's last name, plus Carl looked similar to Rick in appearance. "Emilie Greene." She answered shaking his hand as Anna stood next to her, wiping a hand against her face. The brunette nodded before she heard Daryl resume his yelling, his voice loud as he called out to Merle. Anna stared, her brown eyes looking towards Rick, with a hesitant look.

"Merle! Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up."Daryl called towards his brother, only to get no response. Emilie followed behind him, Anna close to her, on her right, her chocolate brown eyes staring in worry at the redneck. Emilie gave her best friend a look of confusion, wanting an explanation for her concerned and worried look towards Daryl.

"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you."

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

*Flashback- 1 week after arrival at camp*

_Emilie pressed her hands against her head, as she felt very vivid banging in her skull. Her headache came from lack of sleep, because even though she slept, she always had that same nightmare every damn night. The horrid memories of being tied up and having your mouth taped shut, so you couldn't scream, were enough to wake her up. She knew she wasn't alone though, most if the camp, with the exception of Ed and possibly Shane, were welcoming to her and Anna._

_Daryl and Merle, were both gruff rednecks, who seemed like complete pricks when you first meet them; Merle was a racist pig, while Daryl seemed to respect the others' space, as long as they respected his. Emilie saw a big difference between Merle and Ed -even though both of them were very sexist, and acted like bullies-, that Daryl's older brother would never hit a woman. _

_The brunette knew this to be true, because after only a day of her being there, Merle made a move on her, which led to him being kneed in the crotch, but he never attempted to actually to hit her. He was still pissed, but he never once put a hand on her. While she could say that Ed had never hit her, it was only because she was with the rest of the group most of the day, but she could feel his dirty glare. And she certainly had spent more time alone with Merle than she had Ed._

_Shane on the other hand, had something off about him, as in the fact he seemed to glare or simply stare at her, when he thought no one looking. He had a look that she didn't like, a look that caused her to feel sick to her stomach. She hadn't even been there that long, and she already felt uneasy around Shane. She wasn't really a trusting person to begin with, but Shane's disturbing looks were enough to make her cautious around him._

_"Wha' are ya doin' up?"_

_Daryl's southern drawl, pulled her out of her thoughts, causing her to look up with slight surprise."No reason…"The brunette lied, shivering at the cold wind, her hands wrapped around her knees. She felt confusion as something was lowered onto her shoulders, raising her eyes to meet the redneck's Georgian blue ones, she gave him a small smile. She pulled the jacket closer around her, savoring it's warmth, while struggling to ignore the urge to hug him._

_After a little silence, Emilie spoke again,"Couldn't sleep."The short girl simply looked down, small strands of dark hair falling in her face. She gave a sigh of annoyance and roughly brushed the stray strands back to the rest of her irritatingly thick locks. This was the first time she had her hair down in front of Daryl, causing her face look softer, and her eyes to shine more as the fire lit her eyes with ripples of gold._

_Dary said nothing, only offering in her a understanding nod in response, and sat down across from her. The low flames of the fire didn't create much warmth, but it was necessary to avoid potential threats seeing them."I'm going huntin' tomorrow." Emilie shrugged her shoulders, wondering why he would be telling her this."Okay…"She looked at him through thick lashes, her head refusing to stop pounding._

_"Why are ya tellin' me this?"_

_Daryl seemed to have a mental battle with himself, as he looked away from her, and down at the ground."Do you wanna join?" The brunette was slightly shocked, why would he want her to go with him? He'd never offered before, but she figured maybe that somewhere deep underneath his lone wolf exterior, he knew her struggle for having to stay in the camp all the time._

_"Sure."_

_Emilie let a little happiness show, as she was happy that she would finally be able to get out of the camp. Daryl nodded,"Try an' rest. We leave at dawn." He said lightly stomping out the flames, that now were practically non-existent. As the gruff redneck turned to leave, Emilie's voice caused him to stop."You wan' yer jacket back..?" He spared a look at her before giving her only two words."Keep it."_

_Emilie stared at his back as he left, before releasing a sigh, and reluctantly getting up to go back into her and Anna's tent. Her eyes fluttered shut, almost immediately after she fell into her sleeping bag. However, before she could fall asleep, she tugged her sleeve up, revealing a scarred bite mark on her left shoulder. The fingertips on her right hand, touched the scarred wound, her worry flooding her senses for a second._

_It had happened a couple weeks before Daryl had found her, not that long after they had left Anna's place. She could still remember the horror on Anna's face, and the screams of her best friend echoing throughout the night, as clear as day. The walker that tore a piece of her, was still burned into Emilie's mind, like a brand on cattle. She couldn't see the bite, but she could certainly feel it, as tears threatened to spill at the notion of if the group found out._

_The group still didn't know about it, and she was worried as to what would happen if or when they did. They would likely not give her a chance to explain, and simply kill her without thinking about the fact that it had healed. She knew Anna wouldn't be able to stand being near the group, if they killed her, mainly because the strawberry-blond already knew about the bite._

_Sleep eventually overturned her thoughts, which allowed her to finally relax in this horrible world…_

_•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•_

_Emilie looked at Daryl's back as he stepped in front of her, his eyes tracing the vague marks on the the ground. She kneeled down, as she spotted, what looked like a shuffling of leaves; like someone or something had stepped on them. The brunette looked back up, as Daryl looked over his shoulder at her, then towards the squirrel she had caught. Emilie smiled as she heard something in the tree above her, the sound of Daryl pulling the trigger of his crossbow, and the thunk of a bolt piercing the mammal's neck._

_She winced as the squirrel's body fell into her hands, the bolt scraping the side of her right palm."Damn…"She whispered as felt a small mark be carved into her skin, barely managing to pull the bolt out of the squirrel's tiny body, before tossing both at Daryl. Emilie inspected her palm, a small simmer of blood catching her eye, before taking off her backpack."Ye' hurt?" She heard Daryl ask, as she was grabbing a bandana out of her bag."It's nothin'."_

_She spoke lightly, trying to wrap the bandana around the small cut, not willing to waste actual bandages, on her very minor cut. She gasped, a little frustrated, as she unsuccessfully attempted to tie the bandana around the cut, as she knew that even if the cut seemed harmless, it could still get infected. "C'mon."The redneck spoke, quickly tying the squirrel around his waist, before turning and grabbing her hand in his own._

_"Gimme."_

_She nodded, a little nervous at his close proximity, handing the dark purple bandana to him, and holding her palm out. Daryl seemed to not even try, as he swiftly wrapped the bandana around her palm. Emilie was shocked, and a bit embarrassed; if she was being honest. He did it so effortlessly, that she felt ashamed that she wasn't able to do it herself. Emilie blushed as he held her hand, a couple more seconds, before he made a huffing sound and turned his back to her._

_The brunette furrowed her brows at his behavior, brushing a hand against her tied up hair, sighing at oil content of it. Even though there was a lake, she didn't really trust anyone enough to go down there by herself. Shane, Merle, or even Ed were likely to follow her like the perverts they are. She thought about asking Anna to keep watch, but she didn't want to put the bubbly blond in any kind of danger._

_The only other person she even remotely trusted, expect for Carol and the children, was Daryl. He definitely had an attitude sometimes, but he really did care; even if he didn't want to admit it. She might ask him, once they got back; she might still be a little wary( because he was a man, and she would be naked when she bathed)._

_ She shook her head at her thoughts, hoping that the redneck wouldn't mind; but secretly wishing he would decline, so the thoughts would go away. She blushed, as she finally started following Daryl, her eyes glowing with embarrassment. She unsheathed her knife as heard rustling in the bushes to her left, before a walker stumbled out._

_She said nothing as she stabbed the walker in the head with her switchblade. Her emotions getting the better of her in this moment, she repeatedly stabbed the skull of the walker. She kept on, until she felt someone's grip on her arm forcing her to stop. The brunette looked away, snatching her arm out of his grip, as gently as possible. Before heading off in another direction to look for more potential kills, not noticing Daryl's stare at her back as she stepped away._

*Flashback Over*

"About what?" Daryl questioned, as Emilie stopped next to him, looking at the former deputy with malice. The brunette didn't like Shane, as the looks he gave her were bad news. The redneck was truly much more genuine than Shane, even if he didn't always act it.

"About Merle. There was a… There was a problem in Atlanta."

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

*This is one of the last two chapters that I have ready to be posted. I honestly would like some feedback, including about how often I should update. I'm currently writing chapter 4, but I don't think I will be able to update every day. For now, I will simply upload the chapters as I get them finished. Also, I will try to do some editing on the first few chapters, nothing major, just correcting grammar, punctuation, and a few things that bother me with them. I may even make the chapters longer, so be on the look out for that.*

Sincerely,

Talleybear


	4. Tell it to the Frogs Part Two

Anna moved closer to Emilie, as the brunette stared warily at the sight before them. Her blue eyes met Daryl's, as he started questioning Shane, with his southern drawl. Emilie had a gut feeling, that something was wrong, which made her gulp nervously. She touched a hand to the back of her braided hair, twirling a piece of loose hair in-between her fingers. It was a habit that she developed at a young age, one that she never grew out of.

"He dead?"

"We're not sure." Shane answered giving a look to the redneck who seethed with anger."He either is or he ain't!" Anna winced at his voice, but didn't cower this time. If this were another time, Emilie would of smiled, but the seriousness of the situation stopped her. She wanted to say something, but her mouth was dry, and she could feel her breathing stutter. The brunette knew she had to calm her breathing, because an asthma attack wouldn't help anything.

"No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it."

Rick stepped up, speaking to Daryl in a serious-no-bullshit tone. Daryl looked at him with a venomous gaze, his Georgian blue eyes flashing."Who are you?"Emilie gave an uneasy look, a bad feeling bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Anna stood to her full height, masking her earlier cowering. Daryl looked upset, not that Emilie blamed him; as having three siblings of her own, she understood.

"Rick grimes."

Anna looked towards Rick, almost like she knew him personally, which was strange because Emilie swore he had only just got there, while Daryl and her were out hunting. Swallowing her confusion, the brunette simply shook her head, resuming her focus to the current events."Rick grimes, you got something you want to tell me?"

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there." Emilie knew right then that Daryl was going to lose his temper, causing her to put a hand on the sheath of her knife. The short girl looked towards the redneck's face, catching a glimpse of him wiping his eyes. This was the first time she watched him cry, even if he thought no one had noticed.

"Hold on. Let me process this."Daryl seethed in anger, covering up his previous weakness in emotion."You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?!" His tense shoulders and angry eyes, somehow didn't make Emilie like him any less. Rick clearly did not anticipate, Daryl's reaction as he spoke again."Yeah."

The redneck threw the squirrels he was carrying, before lunging at Rick. The former sheriff managed to push the hunter off, causing Daryl to draw his hunting knife."Hey! Watch the knife!"Emilie watched the situation, but in a split second she was over trying to calm the redneck down."Daryl, calm down!" The brunette attempted to grab him, but was shoved out of the way by Shane, and fell to the ground, wincing as the breath hitched in her lungs.

Shane grabbed Daryl, putting the redneck into a chokehold, while completely ignoring the brunette he'd pushed onto the ground. Emilie managed to get back on her feet, her breathing faster than normal, before giving a nasty glare towards Shane. She gave a worried look towards Daryl, but was prevented from approaching him by Rick."Okay. Okay." The former deputy, was honesty getting on her nerves, not that he didn't before.

"You'd best let me go!"

"Let him go, Shane!" Emilie's instincts to help Daryl, we're nothing new. Since they'd first gone hunting together, they watched each other's backs."Nah, I think it's better if I don't."The guy holding Daryl in a chokehold, ignored both the redneck he was holding and the brunette defending him."Chokehold's illegal." Anna gave a concerned look, attempting to calm the situation, but was cut off."C'mon, guys. This isn't necessary -"

"-You can file a complaint. Come on, man. We'll keep this up all day."

Emilie glared even harder, as Shane interrupted Anna with no hesitation. By this point the brunette had her blade gripped in her hand, prepared to intervene if things went even worse than they already were. The strawberry-blond simply stepped back, shaking her head at Shane. Rick knelt down in front of Daryl, speaking in a firm tone, to the pissed off redneck."I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we can manage that?"

When Daryl didn't respond, the blue eyed former sheriff repeated himself staring down at the hunter."Do you think we can manage that?"Emilie was relieved to see the situation, calm enough to where they could have a civilized discussion. Daryl gasped as Shane continued to hold him, and as the former deputy tightened his grip."Hmm?" Shane finally let him go as Daryl finally answered."Mmm. Yeah."

The brunette resisted her urge to check on Daryl, as she figure he'd probably just push her away. And even if he calmed slightly, enough not to fight, he most likely wouldn't be kind if he thought she cared about him."What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others." Rick was definitely right, but Emilie knew it wouldn't sit well with Daryl. Nor would it sit well with her, if one of her siblings got handcuffed to a roof and left behind.

"It's not Rick's fault. I had the key. I dropped it."

T-dog's voice was the next to intrude, Emilie looking towards him with a warning in her eyes."You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl's anger was radiating, causing the short brunette to have worries about him lashing out in violence again."Well, I dropped it in a drain." The man probably knew what he was getting himself into, but Emilie didn't doubt that Daryl's older brother, did something to warrant being handcuffed.

"If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't."

"Daryl…"

Emilie was staring at him, with a look that nearly begged him not to start another fight. Her voice seemed to alert Daryl though, as he looked at her for a second before shaking his head."Well, maybe this will. Look, I chained the door to the roof… So the geeks couldn't get at him…"Daryl seemed to relax a tiny bit before T-dog finished,"With a padlock. It's gotta count for something."

"Hell with all y'all! Just tell me where he is so that I can go get him." His anger seemed to skyrocket again, as the little relaxation he'd had disappeared."He'll show you. Isn't that right?"Lori spoke next, her bitchy tone quickly being noticed by Emilie. The short girl, wasn't being fooled by Lori's words, she knew that the woman's loyalty to her husband was wavering.

"I'm going back."

At her husband's statement, Lori stomped into the RV in a fit of anger. Emilie shook her head at the woman's change in opinion, giving a small smile towards Rick. Even though she hadn't reconized him before, now though; something seemed vaguely familiar. She stared at him for a second, before looking back at the angry redneck, who avoided her gaze. The brunette sighed at his reluctance to even make eye contact with her, feeling as though her efforts to gain his trust were useless.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

*Flashback start/3 weeks after arrival in camp*

_Emilie stared nervously towards Daryl and Merle's tent, as she thought about what to say to the hunter. Her anxiety building up, as she realised what she was about to ask him. He would probably be creeped out that she had the audacity to even think about asking him about it. The only good thing is that Merle was asleep, as it was dark outside, as she heard his snores as she approached the tent._

_As she approached, she spotted Daryl sitting on the ground, making bolts for his crossbow. He didn't look up as she walked towards him, but tensed slightly."Hey, Daryl..?"She asked quietly looking at him, making him finally glance at her."Um, can I ask for a favor?"_

_"Hmm…"_

_She assumed that was her go ahead to ask and finally gained the courage to ask him."I need to go down to the lake to wash."She started slowly watching him as she spoke."And… I don't trust any one of the men in this camp to not walk up on me naked…"She stuttered at the last part, her cheeks flushing as he stared at her intently._

_"But I trust you more than the rest of them… So, can you like… Make sure no one sneaks up on me, when I'm down there..?"_

_Daryl stared at her silently, before answering."Why not ask, Anna?" He questioned giving her a confused and slightly bewildered look."While I do trust her with my life and sanity. She's not the most reliable when it comes to keeping watch. Mainly because-"_

_"Fine."Daryl cut her off, nodding at her. Emilie nodded back slightly embarrassed at his interruption."Okay, how abou' at around dawn. Few people will be up, but maybe the water won't be as cold." Daryl grunted in response, causing Emilie to have to guess if he was agreeing or not.._

_After a few seconds she nodded at him and began to walk away."I see ya kept me jacket."Daryl's voice interrupted her trek towards her and Anna's tent, making her freeze for a second."Yeah, because you said I could keep it. And I didn't have a jacket."She said, trailing her fingers down the sleeve of his jacket, absentmindedly thinking how big it was on her._

_"I know."_

_•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•_

_She walked towards the lake quickly with Daryl, bringing a towel that Anna had given her with her. The redneck said nothing, his eyes watching the trees and bushes as they walked by them. Emilie had Daryl's jacket wrapped around her waist, along with her light blue t-shirt fitting perfectly to her small form._

_"I won't be that long." She told Daryl walking towards the entrance to the lake. Looking over her shoulder, she could see him standing with his back to her, beside a tree. Emilie pulled his jacket off, tossing it on the ground, before unbuttoning her jeans and pulling them off. Next came her t-shirt, being pulled off quickly to avoid any slowing of the process. This revealed the bite mark on her shoulder. Now came the bra and underwear…_

_She unclipped her bra, placing it in the pile of clothes, that were placed next to the towel. She slid off her underwear swiftly, not in the least being slow about it. After placing it in the pile of her clothes she walked towards the water, before bravely wading in. She shivered, even though the water was definitely warmer than it would have been had they done it the middle of the night, it was still cold._

_She first rinsed her hair with water, before dunking under the surface, drenching her face in the process. Emilie sighed as she got used to the temperature of the water, giving her skin a good scrubbing, while getting most of the dirt off. She finally finished, and stepped out of the water reaching for the towel on the ground. She could see that Daryl still had his back turned, but was now leaning against the tree._

_She quickly dried, before tugging her clothes back on in haste. She finally got her t-shirt on, not noticing that the sleeve that normally hid the mark on her shoulder, had slid down enough to reveal the bite. She tied Daryl's jacket around her waist, before grabbing the wet towel, and tucking it under her armpit to hold it as she walked._

_"I'm done."_

_Daryl turned around at her voice, nodded slowly. He looked at her for a few seconds before he did a double take. She was confused as he seemed to stare at her and react badly. However, the second she saw where he was looking she immediately tried to hide it by pulling her sleeve up, hoping that he would just think he misaw. _

_But of course being Daryl, he wasn't likely to forget he saw something."What the hell was that?!"He yelled at her, but not loud enough to where the rest of the group could hear him. Emilie shook her head rapidly, tears threatening to pour as he glared at her."I-I can explain…" she stuttered walking closer to him, only for Daryl to back up a step._

_"Well you better explain quick!"_

_"It's 6 weeks old."She stated, showing him the bite again. It was scarred, a permanent marking on her skin, reminding her of her mistake daily."How do I know ya ain't lyin'?He questioned looking closely at her shoulder."If I was lyin', that bite wouldn't be scarred. Normal people who get bitten, don't live long enough for the bite to heal."_

_He scoffed but accepted her answer, knowing that her logic was right. If she was lying the bit wouldn't have healed, as she would have been dead before it even go the chance to try."Please don't tell anyone…"She pleaded staring at him her eyes still watering._

_"Fine, but I ain't defendin' ya when the group finds out."_

_She nodded giving him a relieved look, but he'd already started walking towards the camp. She picked up the towel that she had dropped, when she had frantically tried to hide her bite mark. She really hoped he was true to his word, and didn't tell anyone, not even his own brother, Merle. She trusted him a lot, way more than she probably should. But she couldn't help it, he was just so kind to her, and trusted her enough at his back to go hunting with him._

_She blushed as she remembered the teased from Anna, about Daryl. The blond would quite frequently tell her how cute Daryl was, and how adorable him and Emilie would be if they were a couple. The strawberry-blond was a natural flirt, but teased her best friend frequently about her potential love interest. The brunette shook her head, kicking a small rock across the floor._

_She really needed to stop thinking about how cute Daryl is…_

*Flashback over*

"So that's it, huh? You're just gonna walk off? Just to hell with everybody else?"

Shane's agitated voice broke Emilie out of thoughts, as she looked up from her place beside Anna. He was talking to Rick, staring his best friend down with an irritated look."I'm not saying to hell with anybody… Not you Shane…"Anna grasped Emilie's hand, looking toward the former cops with a light shiver."Lori least of all. Tell her that."

"She knows."

"Well, look, I… I don't, okay, Rick? So could you just… Could you throw me a bone here, man? Could you just tell me why?-" Emilie narrowed her eyes towards Shane, as Daryl heard the former deputy's finishing statement."-Why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?" Anna chose then to interlock their fingers together, wincing at the redneck's loud tone."Hey, choose your words more carefully."

Daryl was still tense, and continuing to avoid eye contact with the brunette, as he warned the deputy with his eyes."No, I did. Douche bag's what I meant. Merle Dixon…The guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst." Rick's firm tone interrupted the two's verbal battle, staring down both of them. "What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me. I can't let a man die of thirst… me. Thirst and exposure. "

"So you and Daryl, that's your big plan?"

Lori stated giving a disbelieving look towards Rick, who simply stayed firm on his decision. He turned towards Glenn, who yelled out in frustration,"Oh, come on." Emilie gave a sympathetic look towards her Korean friend, but gave a glare towards Lori, who looked away."You know the way. You've been there before… In and out, no problem." This was true, Glenn was probably one of the few she trusted in this camp, enough to where he told her his previous occupation of pizza delivery.

"You said so yourself. It's not fair of me to ask… I know that, but I'd feel a lot better with you along. I know she would too."

Lori honestly still looked peeved about the whole situation, scoffing in disbelief."That's just great. Now you're gonna risk three men, huh?" Shane clearly was upset, his decision that this was a bad idea sticking in his mind."Four."T-dog spoke up, giving a look of appreciation from the brunette, causing Daryl to huff."My day just gets better and better, don't it?"

"You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass?"

"Why you?"T-dog's voice was filled with sass as he answered the redneck's question."You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language."Emilie snorted at that, but froze as Daryl gave her an angry glare."Sorry..."Daryl didn't respond, but stopped his glaring."That's four."

"Five."Emilie spoke up, looking Daryl in the eye, ignoring Anna's tightening grip on her hand."Ya ain't goin'."Daryl drawled giving her no room to argue. Or at least he thought he didn't."I'm goin'. Ya ain't gonna stop me." She gave him a challenging look, before meeting his glare with one of her own. He sighed in frustration, turning away from her, tensing even more.

"It's not just five. You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that, Rick. Come on, you saw that Walker. It was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back, we need every able body we've got. We need 'em here. We need 'em to protect camp." Anna shook slightly, at the mention of having to protect the camp."It seems to me what you really need most here are more guns."Rick stated.

"Right, the guns."

"Wait. What guns?" Shane questioned.

"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sitting there on the street, waiting to be picked up." Was Rick's answer.

Emilie shook her head, as Daryl glanced at her, trying to scare her away, to stop her from going. Anna didn't talk, she simply gripped Emilie's hand in her own, looking towards Daryl with an odd look on her face."Em, you can't go..."The strawberry-blonde whispered, looking back at her best friend, with sad, almost tearful eyes."Ammo?"

"700 rounds, assorted."

"Sorry, Anna…I have to go."

Anna shook her head, releasing her grip on the brunette's hand, walking away towards their tent, on the verge of crying."You went through hell to find us. You just got here and you're gonna turn around and leave?"Lori stated, the bitch tone she was using annoying Emilie. The brunette barely managed to ignore Lori, as she watched Anna walk away.

"Dad, I don't want you to go."

"To hell with the guns. Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of your lives, even with guns thrown in. Tell me. Make me understand."

"That's not your decision."Emilie said quietly, only loud enough for Lori to hear. Said woman, offered a glare, that in Emilie's opinion was pathetic."I owe a debt to a man I met and his little boy. Lori, if they hadn't taken me in, I'd have died. It's because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't warn him."

"What's stopping you?"

"The walkie-talkie, the one in the bag I dropped. He's got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer." Rick answered, looking towards Lori.

"These are our walkies?"Shane asked.

"Yeah."Rick answered.

"So use the CB. What's wrong with that?"Andrea questioned a confused look on her face. Emilie shook her head at the blond, but didn't say anything, as she didn't know the answer either.

"The CB's fine. It's the walkies that suck to crap… Date back to the '70s, don't match any other bandwidth… Not even the scanners in our cars." Emilie gave a scoff, at that, thinking how stupid it was.

"I need that bag. Okay?" Rick pleaded.

"All right." Lori said, but still looked a little upset. Emilie nodded at Rick, before looking back towards the direction Anna went off in."She'll come around."Glenn told her trying to ease her guilt and worry."I know…"The female brunette whispered, looking down towards her feet.

She looked back up as Rick approached Carl, watching the interaction between the father and son."Okay?"The sheriff asked Carl, looking down at the little boy. Carl nodded in response.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"Anna, look at me…"

The strawberry-blond looked genuinely upset, her brown eyes watering. Anna didn't respond to Emilie's pleas, as her shoulders shook with sobs."C'mon, Ann. I'll be alrigh'." Anna finally looked up, before finally throwing her arms around the smaller brunette.

"E-Em, I'm sorry… I was just worried you'd get hurt."

Emilie nodded, comforting her best friend, while barely holding it together herself. She stared at the walls of the tent, as she hugged the brown eyed girl, thinking not to think about what she'd do if something happened to Anna.

"It's okay. I'll be back."

Anna nodded, finally pulling away from the emotional hug with the smaller brunette. Emilie smiled before walking out of the tent, with Anna following behind her. The strawberry-blond's eyes were still red, but she had stopped crying. She still looked a little upset though, but who could blame her.

"The RV's radiator hose is shot. That's a problem if we need to get somewhere and wanna get very far. And the hose on that van is just about a perfect match… Well, enough that I can make it fit."They heard Jim say, as they walked towards Rick and him.

"I'll tell you what… we get back, you can strip that van down to the bare metal."Rick said, looking towards Emilie and Anna as they walked towards him.

"Come on, let's go!"Daryl yelled, beeping the horn.

"Impatient much..?" Emilie whispered, causing Anna to let out a light giggle."Thank you."Jim told the sheriff.

Before they could go to the van, Shane walked over, stopping Rick in his tracks."Hey, Rick, got any rounds in the python?"

"No." Rick answered.

"Last time we were on the gun range, I'm sure I wound up with a few loose rounds of yours."

"You and that bag… like the bottom of an old lady's purse." Rick joked.

"I hate that you're doing this, man. I think that it's foolish and reckless. But if you're gonna go, you're taking bullets."

"I'm not sure I'd want to fire a shot in the city, not after what happened last time."Emilie nodded, agreeing to his statement. Glenn had told her that Atlanta was overrun, and shooting a non-silenced weapon would be trouble.

"That's up to you. Well… Five men, five rounds. What are the odds, huh? Well, let's just hope that… Let's just hope five is your lucky number, okay?"

"Thank you." Rick said.

"All right."

Emilie walked towards the van, behind Rick, and stared as Daryl offered a hand to help her up. She grabbed his hand, letting him pull her up, with little to no effort. The brunette didn't let go of his hand for a couple seconds, looking into his eyes. Snapping out of her trance, she pulled her hand away looking down, a flush forming in her cheeks. She sat down as Glenn started the truck and drove off.

"Hey, Em."Glenn said after a couple minutes.

"Hmm?"

"Um… I'm probably gonna regret asking this... But, uh, how old are you..?"

"Why?" Emilie narrowed her eyes, even though Glenn couldn't see it."I-I was just wondering…"The Korean stuttered, causing Emilie to feel guilty."Nah, it's alrigh'. I'm 21."The brunette answered looking towards the redneck, who finally met her eyes. He actually reacted , shaking his head for a reason unknown to to Emilie.

"Ok… How tall are you then?" Glenn seemed to be less nervous asking this, than the previous question.

"5'1, and the funny thing is even my younger sister is taller than me."

"Huh?"Daryl said.

"Wha'?"

Daryl gave a smirk as he answered."So, can I call you shorty now?" Emilie grinned, unable to resist the redneck's odd but adorable charm."Can I call you Broody then?"

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"He'd better be okay."

"He'll be fine, Dare." Emilie told the redneck, before T-dog spoke his piece."It's my only word on the matter. I told you the geeks can't get at him. The only thing that's gonna get through that door is us."

Emilie nodded looking up as Glenn spoke, after he stopped the truck in its movements."We walk from here." The Korean stated getting out of the truck, along with everyone else.

She began to walk along the tracks, until she noticed Daryl staring at her."Are you okay?" Emilie asked him, only for him to shake his head."I'm sorry…" The redneck said awkwardly looking away from her gaze.

"For what?"

"Yellin' at ya... You just wanted to help." Emilie could tell this was difficult for Daryl, as he spoke in an unsure tone. He was tense as normal, but she swore she could see him actually blushing, when she smiled at him.

"It's alright." She said smiling again, barely able to stop herself from laughing at his red cheeks.

"We good..?"

Emilie nodded, looking at him one more time, feeling like a teenager with her first crush. The brunette smiled again, making her cheeks hurt, as she hadn't grinned this much in a long time.

"We're good."

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Anna's POV

"I'm beginning to question the division of labor here."Jacqui said while her along with Andrea, Anna, Amy, and Carol were doing laundry. Anna's red eyes had disappeared as she talked with the other women, her cheerful brown eyes resuming their normal state."Me too."Anna spoke, looking at the rest of the woman with a lighthearted smile. Andrea nodded her agreement, smiling at the strawberry-blond, who returned it with genuineness .

"Can someone explain to me how the women wound up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?"

"The world ended. Didn't you get the memo?"Amy stated.

"It's just the way it is."Carol spoke lightly.

Anna nodded, but her eyes trailed up to Carol's husband, who was watching them with hard eyes. She finally got some courage from Emilie, by glaring up at Ed, but it immediately plummeted as he glared back. But she managed not to wince, and simply dropped her gaze away from the abusive prick.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Normal POV

"Merle first or guns?" Rick asked as they cut down a fence. Emilie was standing beside Glenn, sparing side glances to the hunter, when he wasn't looking. She didn't realize he had done the same to her, when they were out hunting, and she got to far ahead of him."Merle! We ain't even having this conversation."

"We are. You know the geography. It's your call."Rick said giving a look towards Daryl, before looking at Glenn."Merle's closest. The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first." The short brunette nodded, knowing it was the smartest move. She also knew what it was like to have a sibling, which only deepened her reasoning for coming on this trip.

"He's tough. He'll be alrigh', Broody."

"Alrigh', Shorty."Daryl nodded.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Anna's POV

"I do miss my Maytag."Carol said amusingly.

"I miss my warm bed, and video games."Anna replied enthusiastically, smiling at the mother.

"I miss my Benz, my sat nav."Andrea put in.

"I miss my coffeemaker with that dual-drip filter and built-in grinder, honey."Jacqui added in, causing Anna to nod, her mind thinking that they would have their stuff back soon, and everything would go back to normal.

Anna nodded in agreement, as Amy spoke."My computer… And texting." Although Anna started laughing with the rest of the women at the next comment."I miss my vibrator."Andrea stated.

"Oh!"

"Oh my God!"Amy exclaimed along with Anna.

"Me too."Carol commented, causing all of the women to burst out laughing , Anna's laughing stopped abruptly as she noticed Ed walking towards them."What's so funny?"He questioned, spoiling the cheerful mood."Just swapping war stories, Ed."Andrea said scowling at the lazy abusive man, that was Carol's husband and Sophia's father.

"Yeah."Amy said, frowning at the interruption.

"Problem, Ed?" Andrea asked as he finally reached them, annoyance flashing on her face."Nothin' that concerns you. And you ought to focus on your work. This ain't no comedy club."

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

*Normal POV*

Emilie winced as Daryl insulted the walker in the department store."Damn. You are one ugly skank."Before he could shoot it with his crossbow though, the small brunette had thrown a knife into the walker's skull, destroying the brain."Woah... Where'd you learn how to do that at?" Glenn asked as she walked over pulling the knife out of the walker."I'm a country girl. I know how ta do a lotta things."

She smiled at the jaw dropped Korean, before looking towards the redneck to take in his reaction. Daryl didn't say anything, but had an unknown look in his eyes that appeared when she smiled at Glenn, but disappeared when she looked at him with her big blue eyes. She offered a simple smug look towards the redneck, who grunted in response to her look.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•  
*Anna's POV*

"Ed, tell you what… you don't like how your laundry is done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself. Here." Andrea threw the shirt she was washing at him, but Ed tossed it right back, smacking her in the face."Oh!"Andrea yelped.

"That's not nice."Anna told him, wincing as he glared at her. The strawberry-blond knew she made a mistake by stepping in, but she didn't care; she couldn't just let this abuser torment all of them( especially Carol and Sophia). She saw the bruises on both Carol and Sophia, and knew that they were lying when they said they fell."Ain't my job, missy."Ed said to Andrea before looking towards Anna,"That ain't none of your business, Strawberry."

Anna seethed as he said it, because it was a nickname her mother gave her when she was young. The way her mama said it was always sweet, and she always said it was because the way her hair looked; because her hair was unique compared to the rest of her family. However, the way Ed said it made it feel insulting, like he was a million times better than her, and everyone else in this messed up world. Although she figured he thought he was better than everyone else, even before the Apocalypse.

The bruises on Sophia and Carol were proof of that.

"Andrea, Anna, don't."Carol said, giving them a pleading look. Anna shook her head at the woman's behavior, wondering why the hell Carol was letting Ed abuse her and Sophia. It was clear that Carol was scared of Ed, but that was no excuse; she knew that if the whole of the camp knew, they wouldn't let Ed hurt his wife or daughter ever again. Or, Carol could have just left before the Apocalypse, and prevent the abuse both her and her daughter experienced.

"What is your job, Ed? Sitting on your ass smoking cigarettes?" Andrea asked, ignoring Carol's plead."Cuz it sure as hell isn't doing actual work."Anna told him, giving Carol a look that said, 'I'm not gonna let him hurt you anymore'. Ed glared at both of the women, but this time Anna didn't even flinch. She figured her courage came from seeing how Ed treats Carol, and the prominent bruises that were on both on his wife and Sophia."Well, it sure as hell ain't listening to some uppity smart-mouthed bitches. Tell you what… come on. Let's go."

"I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed."

"And I say it's none of your business. Come on now. You heard me." Ed said angrily.

"Carol."Andrea and Anna said, looking towards the mother."Andrea, Anna, please. It doesn't matter."The woman pleaded with the two blonds, before Ed spoke again."Hey, don't think I won't knock ya'll on y'all's asses just 'cause you're some college-educated cooze, All right? Now you come on now or you gonna regret it later."The abusive prick told Carol.

"So she can show up with fresh bruises later, Ed? Yeah, we've seen them."Jacqui stated, causing Anna to nod in agreement. This abusive bastard wasn't as subtle as he thought he was, or as smart for that matter. Ed simply laughs at the dark skinned woman's statement , which drew attention to Shane, who was nearby.

"Stay out of this. Now come on! You know what? This ain't none of y'all's business. You don't want to keep prodding the bull here, okay? Now I am done talking. Come on."

Anna gets in front of Carol, not allowing the woman to go to her poor excuse for a husband."No no."Andrea yelled trying to keep Carol from going around Anna."Carol, you don't…"Amy pleaded, as Carol nearly made her way around the blond."Carol, you don't have…"Andrea said before she was cut off by Ed's yelling.

"You don't tell me what! I tell you what!"

Anna could feel her face stinging as she got in the way of the slap that Ed had intended for Carol."You bitch!"He yelled in anger as Anna fell back from the impact. Ed ignored her, and attempted to grab Carol, the women trying to stop him."Get off her!" The women yelled, but they weren't strong enough to hold him back.

"Come here! Come here!"Ed yelled.

"Get off her! Get off her! Get off her!"All the women yelled, as Carol was grabbed at. Anna was still stunned from the blow, but tried to help, by attempting to pull Ed away from Carol. This backfired causing Anna to fall to the ground, as Ed elbowed her in the chest. Suddenly, Shane showed grabbing Ed roughly, as the abusive man attempted to hit Anna again.

"Get off me!"Ed demanded.

"Ed?"Carol asked.

"It's okay. It's okay."

"No!"

"It's okay."

"No!"Ed yelled.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

*Normal POV*

Finally Emile and the four men reached the roof, cutting through the padlock, opening the door. Emilie stayed by Daryl as he started frantically yelling for Merle."Merle! Merle!"Emilie gasped as she spotted a handcuff dangling, with no one there…

She winced as Daryl started sobbing as he spotted something else, his cries tugging on her heart strings."No! No!"Daryl yelled as they spotted the saw on the ground along with blood, along with Merle's hand."No!"The hunter yelled.

"Oh my god…"She whispered as the scene unfolded before her.

This hadn't gone well at all.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

So, I decided to try to put Anna's point of view into this, and would like to know if you want it to be a common thing in this story. Also Daryl is the only one, besides Anna, who knows about Emilie's bite mark.

*This is the last written chapter. I don't know how long it'll take me until I get the fourth chapter done, but I just had to deal with a family tragedy, so it might be awhile.*


End file.
